You Gotta Get Up: Surviving the Loss of Your Child, by Lorraine Jones

What do you do when the worst thing in the world has happened to you? That’s the question that Lorraine Jones kept asking herself in the days and months after the stabbing death of her son. Fourteen years later, she poses a challenge to other grieving parents with her first book, You Gotta Get Up: Surviving the Loss of Your Child. The 140-page paperback, published by Bambu Sparks Publishing, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit as it offers hope in the face of what is arguably every parent’s greatest fear.
Jones is probably best known in bereavement counselling circles for her work in spreading awareness of the needs of grieving children. A public relations practitioner by vocation, she began hosting ‘Grieving Child’ seminars in 1999 for teachers, guidance counsellors and other professionals working with children, giving a voice to children and teens whose grief support needs she says, are often overlooked. In 2009, with the death of her son, she experienced the flip side of that grief — the pain of burying a child.
In You Gotta Get Up, Jones references her experience but emphasises that it is not an autobiographical narrative. Instead, the book offers guidance to newly bereaved parents, assuring them that the emotions and physical sensations they are feeling are common to others in their situation. It provides suggestions for self-care and seeking support through this difficult time, offering hope that “others have walked this road before and come out on the other side”.The foreword for You Gotta Get Up, is written by Dr Kenneth Doka, bereavement researcher, author, and senior vice-president of the Hospice Foundation of America. He notes, “This is an excellent work that has the power to not only assist grieving parents, but also those around them who seek to understand, support and assist such parents as they cope with the horrendous loss of a child.”
Jones is a leading advocate for grieving children in Jamaica. Over the past two decades, she has organised several seminars and workshops to sensitise educators and professional caregivers to the complexities of childhood grief. This book is inspired by her journey after the death of her son. Drawing on her experiences and her training in bereavement support, she offers guidance and comfort to those navigating the challenging path of parental grief and is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counselling (ADEC).
The book will be launched in Jamaica on May 19 at the Webster Memorial United Church.